Taking a look at the five easiest RB fantasy football strength of schedules for the fantasy playoffs!
As important as it is to make the fantasy playoffs, it’s just as important to make sure your team is set up to go on a run in the playoffs as well. With league trade deadlines approaching, now is the time to make your final trades to push for glory in the fantasy playoffs. With running back being arguably the most important position in fantasy, we break down the five easiest RB fantasy football strength of schedules in the fantasy playoffs.
Note that this article looks at Weeks 14-17 as the fantasy playoffs, while the video below will relate to the more traditional Weeks 15-17.
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Easiest RB Fantasy Football Strength of Schedules | Fantasy Football Playoffs
1) Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
Playoff Schedule: @ Bills, vs Ravens, @ Dolphins, vs Cardinals
Coming into the season, we at FlurrySports warned you to stay away from Chase Brown at his draft position. Whether you went against our advice or didn’t have a choice is irrelevant, and there is finally good news for you on the horizon. Not only is the offense finally starting to click for the Cincinnati Bengals, but they also play one of the easier fantasy football strength of schedules in the league come playoff time.
Out of the four teams the Bengals play between Weeks 14 and 17, the best defensive rank against fantasy running backs comes from the Arizona Cardinals and their 14th-ranked defense. As for the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins, they rank 25th, 29th and 27th, respectively. With Joe Burrow’s return on the horizon as well, the Bengals may be able to get their offense clicking at the perfect time. With their gauntlet start of the season now past them, the sky is looking a heck of a lot more bright for Chase Brown and Cincinnati’s rushing attack.
2) Jacory Croskey-Merritt/Chris Rodriguez, Washington Commanders
Playoff Schedule: @ Vikings, @ Giants, vs Eagles, vs Cowboys
To be completely honest, I don’t think any running back for the Washington Commanders can be trusted in any capacity for the rest of the season. However, if you have either of these players, you probably don’t have any other options that you can rationally replace them with. If that is you, you may be in luck with how Washington’s schedule will play out for the fantasy playoffs.
The Commanders also face off against the 30th-ranked Cowboys and 31st-ranked Giants. With those games coming in Weeks 15 and 17, there’s a very good chance one of those weeks is either your league’s finals or semifinals. In the one week between, Week 16, Washington plays the Philadelphia Eagles, who surprisingly rank 23rd against running backs in fantasy. Although the Vikings rank 11th, with three weeks coming against teams who rank in the bottom-third against running backs, the Commanders have as good a chance as any to finally see consistent success on the ground come playoff time.
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3) Aaron Jones/Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
Playoff Schedule: vs Commanders, @ Cowboys, @ Giants, vs Lions
Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason have been two of the more disappointing running backs this season for fantasy owners. With Jones battling injuries and Mason being incredibly volatile, there hasn’t been much good to come for the Minnesota Vikings’ running back room. While they still may be frustrating come time for the fantasy playoffs, they may just reward your patience if you find yourself in a good spot.
While the pair do face off against the Detroit Lions and their third-ranked defense in fantasy against running backs in Week 17, they don’t face many challenges outside of that. In Week 14, they face off against the Commanders, who rank 15th, before playing the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants in consecutive weeks, who rank 30th and 31st, respectively. If Jones can stay healthy, he should easily be able to provide high RB2 and even possibly low RB1 numbers in two games, the Vikings should be able to see success on the ground. Seeing that he is probably RB3/4 for your team, that is a welcome sight after a lackluster year.
4) Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Playoff Schedule: @ Buccaneers, vs Panthers, vs Jets, @ Titans
If there was a poster child for a low RB2/high RB3 this year, it would be Alvin Kamara. Through 10 weeks, he has only found the endzone once, which has exacerbated his issues scoring many points for fantasy. For as tough as it’s been to watch him put up sub-10-point performances for much of the year, help may finally be on the way for Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints.
Sadly, the Saints’ offense is what it is. No change of quarterback, coach, or situation in this organization is going to make it any better. However, their schedule will change and get easier, which gives Kamara a shot at solid RB2 production come playoff time. The “best” defense Kamara and the Saints’ rushing attack will face is ranked 18th in the Carolina Panthers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets and Tennessee Titans rank 26th, 22nd, and 28th, respectively. Admittedly, Kamara is not an option you love to utilize in the fantasy playoffs, and he is not a player you’ll ever really be able to fully trust. With the amount of injuries and tough matchups that come up during playoff time, though, you can certainly do a lot worse.
5) TreVeyon Henderson/Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Playoff Schedule: BYE, vs Bills, @ Ravens, @ Jets
TreVeyon Henderson has been one of the most frustrating running backs in recent memory, due to New England Patriots’ head coach Mike Vrabel doing whatever he can to stop him from reaching lead-back status. With the recent injury to Rhamondre Stevenson, however, Vrabel hasn’t had a choice, and Henderson has thrived. Since taking over, Henderson has finished as RB20 and RB4, and there is reason to believe this could keep up.
The unfortunate thing about Henderson is that Week 14 is a bye week for him. Whether you have a deep league that has a long playoffs, or a small league that sees Week 14 as the last week of the season, it’s awful timing for a bye week. If you can find a way to get through that week, though, Henderson and the Patriots may just pay off. In the three weeks following their bye week, the Patriots face the 25th, 29th, and 22nd-ranked defenses in fantasy against running backs in the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets. While Stevenson may take some touches back when he returns from injury, with how Henderson is playing at the moment, this is Henderson’s job to lose.
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